Questions arising from study/effort (vs. those arising from unfamiliarity, lack of effort)

Evidence of problem-solving (e.g., making an etude out of a problematic passage, or using an exercise to build needed range)

Progress and improvement on material previously assigned

Evidence of application of methods or concepts from previous lessons, other work or classes

Performance

(or, how to prepare yourself to perform)

Learn piece of music as described for lessons above. Try to include a “performance mentality” in your practice and preparation.

Practice the performance itself

Play straight through (no stops) many times

Get used to recovering from mistakes “on the fly”

Get used to thinking of the whole piece as the performance

Get used to thinking ahead-- try not to dwell on “what just happened”

Be sure to rehearse with accompanist, if applicable, more than once

Try to arrange or find time to get into the place you are performing

Get used to your sound in the hall or room

Get used to the climate of the hall

Visualize the audience, including people’s faces, while playing

Practice walk-through’s of entire performance, including walking on and off stage, performance clothing (esp. shoes), bowing.

Bring friends (good ones) along to listen-- practice getting nervous and playing well anyway.

If possible, arrange several performances in front of different audiences so you do not become dependent on the results of a single performance.

Philosophical/mental attitude toward performances themselves-- I try to treat performances as stops along a long musical path, rather than “life-or-death” struggles or attempts to win, prove something or beat someone. For more information about this subject of competition, please follow this link. While each performance is important, the success or failure you associate with it is dependent NOT on what actually happens, but on your attitude toward and response to the performance itself and the pressure (positive or negative, realistic or not) that you place on yourself. If you treat each performance as a possible learning experience for something more and better, you will always have a successful performance (because there is always something to learn...). Still, we all need to find our own ways to perform successfully.

Practice Strategies

Why practice?

To improve (in general and in specific areas)-- to work on what you CAN’T do yet (!!)

To prepare for a performance-- to work on what you CAN’T do yet (!!)

For fun, to enjoy doing-- playing what you can do well.

NB: Thus, two out of three reasons for practicing support working on what you CAN’T do.

How to practice I-- Components of Practice Session(s)

Warmup-- stretching mind and muscle-- Why? basic maintenance

Technique-- exercises/etudes, patterns-- Why?

reinforce what you can do

refine

learn new things

increase breadth and experience (reconfigure or reorder the familiar)

Musicality-- real pieces, listening-- Why? growth as a musician

to learn more about yourself, self-expression, your own capabilities

to learn more about your instrument and its capabilities

to learn more about making music in general-- increase breadth and experience